The Lucky And The Strong
by AnneLea
Summary: Blood, not his own, was on his hands, chest, arms, even streaking down his pants. He smelled of rural areas, sweat, and death when he clame close enough to her senses to catch it over the pungent flowers. He was empty, dead to everything but the flower.
1. The Rose

_Kakashi was looking at roses. He pulled one, yellow edged with red, and breathed deeply-not the scent of the flower, but more of a breath to gather confidence. Ino had no idea who it could be for, not even when she saw he hadn't even cleaned up before coming into the shop. Blood, not his own, was on his hands, chest, arms, even streaking down his pants. He smelled of rural areas, sweat, and death when he clame close enough to her senses to catch it over the pungent flowers. Ino found herself shaking when their eyes met. His was empty, dead to her and everything but the single flower._

_"It's free, Hatake-sama," Ino told him._

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Sakura stood up on her right leg, keeping the left one bent so as not to jar it or put pressure on the still hardening cast. Securing the clip over her chest from her back pack, she closed her locker. Looking back at the bench, Sakura wondered how to carry her delicate gift home. Putting it inside her bag was not an option. It would wilt from the heat almost instantly when she walked out the door. Trying to cary it in her hand would ruin the stem and kill it's vase life once she got home. She could stick it down her cleavage, but that was just inviting the wrong kind of attention. The only other option was her mouth, but then she wouldn't be able to talk to anybody she was bound to run into on the way home. Since working in the hospital for so many years, more people knew her on sight than she could remember. Good for a medic, bad for a Jonin in the field.

"Hi, forehead," Ino opened her locker-two down the line from Sakura's. "What happened to you?"

"I don't want to talk about it, Ino," Sakura said lowly. "I can't even figure out who gave me that."

"Hmm?" Ino turned to follow Sakura's gaze. Her eyes landed on the perplexing flower. It was a rose. Yellow, edged with red. Ino had only sold one of those in the past couple of days. It even had the single green leaf at the very bottom still attached. "Oh that one! I gave it to him for free."

"Gave it to who for free?" Sakura asked, rounding on her friend eagerly.

"Hatake-sama," Ino answered with a shrug, "but he looked like he'd just gone through a war or two before coming into the shop. Does he not understand that the Hokage isn't supposed to be doing everything he used to in the field or something?"

Sakura didn't answer Ino. Ino had just given her answers to two of her own questions. It was definitely Kakashi that had brought her home. It was, also, Kakashi that had brought her the specially colored rose. He had gone after her. He had left Konoha and all the standards he was supposed to uphold as Hokage. For her.

"Hey, Sakura, I'm talking to you here!" Ino tapped her on the head with a pen. "I asked if you wanted me to help you carry anything."

Sakura snapped back to reality. "Could you help me with the flower?"

Ino smiled and reached into her locker. Pulling out a scroll, she commented, "You'd never believe how many people get flowers but forget vases and water."

Sakura watched as Ino released a vase from the scroll. It was pre-filled with water. A little farther into the scroll, Ino released one of many packets of nutrients to pour inside. The blond worked quickly to tear open the packet, mix it with the water, angle a cut on the stem of the rose, and drop it inside. With a spare scrap of paper, Ino made an impromptu sealing scroll and placed the vase, flower, and mixed water all inside before dropping it into Sakura's backpack.

"I can't actually walk with you. I've still got another four hours on my shift," Ino informed the curious Sakura, "but I can release it at your place later if you want."

"I've seen how you do it, Ino," Sakura smiled. "I can manage. Besides, you've got that surgery this evening you've got to be back for. Thank you."

"Sakura," Ino closed her locker and took a swig of bottled water, "just promise me you will tell me what happened. And, can I tell your sensei off for you?"

Sakura's smile turned to a sad smirk. "You know he can subject you to all sorts of punishments now, right? Including Gai and Lee."

"Oh," Ino looked down. "I'm still coming over, though. Tonight for a late dinner. Eight."

"I don't have any decent food at home," Sakura reminded, "I just got back from a two week-long turned six-week long mission."

Ino cocked her head, "Oh yeah. Then I'm bringing tempura."

"Bring enough for a lot of people, then," she answered. She had purposefully not mentioned her prior arrangements for the night in case Ino offered to bring her share. "And bring it to the only house with lights on in the Uchiha complex. It's my team's gathering place after each time we all come home alive."

"But you're the only one that was gone..."

"Near-death experiences also count for parties. Besides, it was more than me out there. Just bring enough as a side for all of us. Sai is bringing ice cream. Naruto's bringing his usual. Tenzou is bringing the drinks. Kakashi usually brings the games. And I always bring the plates and such."

Ino checked her watch. "Gotta get back. I'll see you at eight, right?"

"We start at seven if you can make it," Sakura waved, turning to go out a back door, opposite the direction of the blond's destination. "See you there."

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Ino skipped up to Shizune the moment she caught sight of her superior. She had juicy news to deliver about a mutual friend... and who was sending her flowers. But Shizune was already deep in conversation with one of Ino's other juicy subjects, Neji. Though he was publicly engaged to a distant cousin by family law, Ino knew he was planning to get out of it by way of Tenten or even Ino herself. She wasn't about to let it happen to herself, though, because the only way Neji could avoid the marriage to the other Hyuuga was to get another girl pregnant and marry her for at least the first three years after the child was born. Ino didn't want that for Tenten, either, but Neji had some time to work things out or find another loophole. The wedding was set for three years away.

Shizune just wasn't going to have the time to talk to her while Neji was there, and Ino wouldn't dare walk in on that conversation considering the furtive looks Shizune was throwing this way and that while explaining a small, unmarked package in her hands to the Hyuuga. Ino would catch up with her later. Right now, she could feel the eyes of another boring holes into her skull. The person was taller than her considering the angle.

Looking to her left and slightly down the hall, Ino's suspicions were confirmed. The Hokage was staring in her direction.

"Hi, Kakashi-sama!" Ino bounced over his way, ready to tease him as covertly as possible. "I hear your team is having a party tonight to celebrate Sakura's recovery?"

"For letting me have that flower free, you're invited, Yamanaka-chan," Kakashi replied. "If you aren't busy."

"Oh, Sakura already invited me," Ino smirked. "I put the rose in a safe spot for her while she gets home. She really liked it."

"You saw her when she was released?"

"No, just a few minutes ago when she was getting her extra clothes from her locker," Ino answered.

"Where was she headed?"

Ah, the real reason he'd been boring a hole into her head with his gaze... He was looking for the woman he'd given the rose to.

"On her way home," she replied honestly. "She looked tired, still."

Kakashi nodded, and he pulled out a note from his pants pocket. "I've got a few more people to check in on. If Shikaku sends anybody here after me, give them this for me. Thank you, Yamanaka-chan."

Ino took the paper, and then waited for the man to turn his back before letting the sarcastic smile grace her lips. 'A few more people' wasn't likely. In her thoughts, only one. Just Sakura.

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Kakashi was sitting on her front steps. The hell?

"Kakai-sensei?" Sakura caught his attention, swinging her crutches out ahead of her one more time before coming to a rest infront of him. "What are you doing here?"

"Checking in on a friend," Kakashi closed his newest book companion and stood. "Here, hand me your backpack and let me help you up the stairs."

Sakura gladly shifted her crutches and slung off her pack at him. The stairs, however, she took herself. It certainly wasn't the first time she'd had to do so, and she was fairly sure that it wouldn't be the last.

"You're almost a natural at that," Kakashi informed her. "Has it become a habit, or are you practicing for something?"

"Neither," Sakura answered, "just got good at it early on. It's all muscle memory by now. Oh, could you get the door for me? Holding it open is always a bitch with these things under each arm."

"Sure," Kakashi pulled the door open, unlocked the inner one with the spare key from inside the handle of the outer door, pushed it open, let her through, and pulled it shut behind him. Watching her carefully ease into a reclining chair in the far left corner of the room, he just set her bag down near the door and went straight into the kitchen. He knew exactly where she kept the multitude of tea brews and even a secret stash of coffee. "Which one?"

"Pomegranate, of course," Sakura called back. "I bought more 'Bengale Spice' for you. It's on the top left."

"I see it," he spoke over his shoulder happily. "Thanks."

Sakura leaned back and carefully raised the leg rest. The least little bit of jarring and her foot would end up with stabbing pain radiating through her whole leg. When it was finally up, Kakashi returned with two steaming mugs with different tea bags steeping in each. Two bags in hers, no sugar. Three in his, extra sugar.

"I liked the flower by the way," Sakura told him , accepting the tea. "Ino told me it was you."

Kakashi tipped his head to her and pulled down his mask to take a sip. "Yellow for friendship and red for the blood we've spilled on each other's behalf."

"Rather fitting considering how much blood I spilled on you two days ago," she contemplated. "From what I gathered, you're the one that brought me back."

He was silent for a moment, curled up comfortably on the love seat as he contemplated that. "Yes... It's not like I could trust anybody else to bring you back quickly enough. Sai wouldn't sacrifice his own security. Tenzou was already half way on the other side of the country. Naruto would have killed them all first and sacrificed your health because of it."

"There are others."

"Who wouldn't have been as committed to your well being." Kakashi put his cup on the low table and moved to look right at her better. "You're a friend of mine. I don't let my friends die. You know that."

Sakura's eyes drifted to the pictures on the bookshelf near the door. Most of them were of her friends and team, all varying degrees of that team. Some, though, were of family and their friends. Only one other person in her closer family had been a kunoichi, and Sakura had one of the few copies of her first team picture. Inuzaka Rin stood proudly at the forefront, between two other boys her age and directly infront of their sensei. Sakura hadn't known the names of any of Rin's teammates before she was thirteen and looking at one of them face to face. As student and teacher.

Considering the resemblance between the dark haired boy and the few photos of other Uchiha than the main family that Sakura had seen, she was able to deduce that Kakashi's eye and the dark haired boy were directly related. And it was obvious whom their sensei was.

What really caught her off guard, though, was how Kakashi hadn't reacted to that picture being in Sakura's possession but for one time. He had asked her how she had gotten hold of one. She had replied that it was Rin's and that her mother had held on to it until Sakura was in Kakashi's team. The elder Haruno woman wanted Sakura to have some idea of what her teacher once dressed like. It was odd, but Sakura's mother based everybody on how they dressed before anything else.

"Don't even think that I didn't try," Kakashi warned her. "I don't have the same talents you do."

"But you've got me on your side," she answered.

Someone was knocking so hard it was like they were going to bust the door down. A muffled demand of "Hokage-sama, you are needed NOW!" made its way inside.

Kakashi quickly finished up his tea, reset his mask, and grumbled on his way to the door. "I told her to give them the note, not tell them where I was going..."

"Who?" Sakura asked quickly.

"Ino," Kakashi shot over his shoulder at her before jerking the front door open. "What, Kotetsu?"

"The ANBU team you sent last has come back," Kotetsu answered, lowering his voice. "One of them is in emergency surgery right now, sir. Shizune-sensei is operating, but they need Haruno-sensei, to take over for her until the patient is placed into post-op."

"I just got out of there as a patient myself, though!" Sakura moaned from her comfortable chair, still holding her mug of tea.

"Shizune-sensei sent me for you the same time Shikaku-sama sent me for Hatake-sama," Kotetsu shrugged. "Ino-sensei said you were both here when she heard what the problem was."

Kakashi decided that this breach of trust was alright. There was good reason. "Where is best for them to report?"

"In the hospital, sir," Kotetsu answered. "They're all hurt."

Kakashi looked over his shoulder at Sakura, "Come on. I promise everything should be clear for later. We'll talk about it over dinner, I guess."

Kotetsu hardened his expression before it could slip out of control. It wasn't his place to wonder about the personal appointments and relationships of the Hokage or the only person to have nearly as much power in the village hospital as the Godaime once had. No, those were two powerful people he wouldn't join the gossip rings about. He liked his head where it was. Attached firmly to his shoulders by way of a perfectly intact neck.

"I'm going to do it from a chair, though," Sakura grumbled. "Let me get an extra change of clothes in my backpack and then we can go."

Kotetsu objected, "But they need you _now_, Sakura-sensei!"

"I'll teleport the both of us," Kakashi informed him. "There are summoning seals there that still work."

The reference was lost on Kotetsu, but he took it none the less. Sakura, meanwhile, was already hopping her way with a re-clothing-filled backpack over her shoulders..

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Ino set the container of yasai tempura on the island counter next to the ramen Naruto brought, but pushed it closer to the drinks just in case Naruto didn't look at what he was grabbing and ate all of it instead of his ramen. Said blond male was currently sitting infront of the television competing with Sai on a rather old videogame system. An Atari, she thought Tenzou had called it.

"By the way," Ino looked over to the unoccupied, civilian dressed man, "I thought your name was Yamato."

Tenzou smirked a little. "That's what my mother named me."

"Then why do Hatake-sama and Sakura call you Tenzou?" she pressed.

"That's what my foster parents changed my name to when I was a baby," Tenzou answered honestly. "Okaa-sama thought she could make me come over more by forcing my birth name on me as a code name. That's all I can guess, anyway."

"But... Godaime was the one who made you go by 'Yamato' all the time. Right?"

"_She_ is my mother."

Ino dropped the stack of plastic cups he had just handed her, jaw nearly to the floor.

"What?" he asked, bending down to pick up the plastic cups and re-stack them. "You didn't know that I'm Senju?"

Ino stuttered for a moment, then finally got the words to come out straight, "I knew you were Senju when I looked up your file last, but Godaime's son? Naruto's _uncle_? What's next? Is Sai really an Uchiha? Because, I swear he looks like he could be Sasuke-kun's twin!...just with different hair and paler skin..."

Tenzou shook his head, "He's not as far as I know, but even he doesn't know. Ask him."

_Good,_ Ino thought, _he doesn't know._

An exhausted Sakura appeared right between them. Next to her stood a heavily laden Kakashi. The only real strange part about the whole thing was that he was actually being seen in the official Hokage robes. Tenzou tried not to bust out laughing at the odd combination of the stark white and red robes and the black mask. Stranger still was how Kakashi was managing to wear both the hat and his headband as an eye patch like usual. Add to the fact that he was carrying the shopping Sakura had just done for the party, the usual bag of games, plus what looked to be Sakura's personal purchases of undergarments, and anyone would think that the leader of Konoha was a whipped man... whipped by a much younger, pink haired, emerald eyed girl that could kick ass but preferred not to. Laughable really.

"Not a word," Kakashi warned, trying to get the one bra that was half hanging out of a bag back inside of said bag. Without touching the bra. "Either of you."

"Oh give me that!" Ino pulled the bra out of the bag and admired it. "Ooh, I like the padding on this. Just enough to modify for hiding extra shurikin inside! And it's lacy, too? But, Sakura, the purple is all wrong for you..."

"Is that a hint or something, Pig?" Sakura asked. "Because it's not for you. I'm modifying it for Tenten as a birthday present."

Ino checked the size, "Oh. I guess it is too big for you, isn't it?"

Sakura held back from whacking Ino over the head with a crutch. Tenten was smaller than Sakura, now that she'd finally gotten all the way through puberty and then some. But it was the some that she dreaded telling the rest of them today. Orders, though, were orders. Kakashi would have no major secrets kept between his team. Maybe kept by the team, but not from other team members.

"Will somebody help me out here, please?" Kakashi grumbled, arms too loaded down and holding items precariously to move them much. Thus his problem getting the bra hidden away.

"I've got it, senpai," Tenzou grabbed the plastic plates and cups out of one arm, then came back for the teetering bag of chips, bag of still steaming edamame, and large box of games.

The girls had already moved into the living room and informed the boys that the party was officially started. Ino made sure Sakura was comfortably stretched out on the sofa, with plenty of pillows and things to keep her propped up enough to eat before joining all the guys in the kitchen to make a plate for herself and Sakura alike.

When everyone was settled in for the late dinner, Ino wondered why no one was speaking or already making suggestions about which game to play. That, of course, was when Kakashi took command. It was going to be more of a mission debriefing than a party until all important topics were out in the open. Ino knew it right away. Her own team acted similar, before anyone had drank too much to care.

"Sakura," Kakashi looked her direction cautiously, "are you sure you want Ino to hear this?"

"I need some girl support right now, sensei," Sakura answered, her voice almost submissive in it's quietness.

The guys straightened up. This was very unusual, despite anyone else being with them anyway. Sakura had never complained about being the only girl before, and this wasn't really even a complaint. She sounded fearful.

"But... I can't say it..."

Kakashi nodded, understanding. It was a rough subject, one he'd been forced to speak of once before. On his own behalf. If it was hard for him then, it had to be hard for her as an adult. He knew it still would be for him if he ever decided to revisit that time in his life. He chose not to, though. The past was best kept right where it was.

"Alright," Kakashi took a second before continuing. "The team is going to be one down for a year or more."

He waited, knowing that someone-most likely Naruto-was going to either have an objection or five million questions. Naruto kept silent, however, and it looked like he was doing his best not to blurt anything out. Kakashi betted that the blond knew what was going on with Sakura, even without being told. Maybe someone had warned him to keep his mouth shut, that or he wanted to hear it from Sakura herself.

"As you know, we're again at odds with Lightning, where recently three of our ANBU teams have been disabled. The first was killed. The second being you two, Sai, Tenzou. And the two of you know about Sakura bringing in the Medics. Her team was scattered after tending to you, and Sakura was captured. Someone has the knowledge to use an injection for disabling chakra flow.

"This way, the effects are not dependant on the life of the captor. It was mixed with heavy sedatives. When I found Sakura, my second was killed watching my back as we retreated. But there's worse."

Ino was still trying to figure out why Sakura couldn't talk about this, and why she really wanted another female there. She watched as Kakashi caught Sakura's eye again, asking once more for permission to speak on her behalf.

"Sakura's chakra production and flow may never fully recover because of the cocktail they gave her added to the fact that her body itself is irreversibly damaged and changed. Chakra healing does not work on her correctly because of the flow change in her system. Also, though she was non-responsive the whole time from what I know, there are signs of multiple rapes."

Sakura's hands balled up into fists even as Ino tried to grab one of them, give her some kind of support. She swore everyone besides herself, Sakura, and Kakashi had stopped breathing. Sakura had acted so normal, cheerful even, to have gone through anything like that.

"What could be detected other than the physical damage," Kakashi spoke into the silence, "is that she also had a miscarriage. Sakura was pregnant prior to leaving Konoha to aid Tenzou and Sai. It would account for why her chakra was slightly off already."

"That's not right," Naruto spoke up. "No! No no, she's still pregnant! I could feel it earlier today when I was meditating! She and Ino were in the Hospital together, standing right next to each other."

Ino and Sakura shared a look. Other than Kakashi, they were the only two in the world to know the truth to that, and he only knew because they needed his permission to go through with the plan.

"Naruto," Ino turned to the other blond, "are you sure you didn't get that from being in a direct line with both of us?"

Naruto thought about that one. "Well, you were right infront of her from my direction. So?"

Ino sighed, "I'm the one that's still pregnant. I just tested positive yesterday."

Sakura spoke just three words, "Our plan works."

"What plan?" Tenzou asked.

Kakashi looked to the women to answer that one. It would be on their heads, not his.

"It's still too soon to say that it'll really work," Ino corrected. "All we know is that it took well enough for pregnancy."

"_What_ is that?" Tenzou pressed.

Ino looked over to look him in the eye, "Sakura saved some of Uchiha's blood a few months ago. She and I isolated the DNA and injected it directly into the sperm of trusted men here in Konoha. Ones that we knew to be compatible with Uchiha family techniques or on similar levels. When we learned how to get a perfect blend of the DNA with the genetics of the sperm, we inseminated ourselves with that. It was so that we could see about getting the Sharingan back as a weapon of Konoha."

"The two of you once fought heavily over him," Sai observed. "This goes beyond stalking."

"It was on my orders that the two of them would be the mothers," Kakashi stepped in to protect the pair. Since Ino had already spilled the beans on most of it, he figured he'd go ahead and elaborate just a little more. "The council was pressing to have my eye looked at and tested for DNA that could be used in the same manner. It would have been volunteer for the parents, though. When Sasuke's blood was brought back a new option was opened and I was allowed to screen kunoichi strong enough to deal with the problems that would and still will arise. They'd have to be strong enough to protect the children on their own. I also wanted them surrounded by protective, responsible teammates as well as family.

"Sakura agreed only after being assured that she is the top kunoichi of child bearing age. Shizune did that just before I could talk to her. Hinata is already off the list because of her current status change. We knew it had to be someone with kekke genkai ability, though. That knocked out a lot of others. I approached Ino after suggestion by several others, including Sakura and Shizune, that she was up to the task."

"But," Naruto questioned, looking a bit lost, "how are we going to go any length of time without you, Sakura-chan? We need you out there."

Sakura tried to smile. It really did mean a lot to hear that. "You're going to be more careful until we can find a way to get me better."

"Why the year?" Tenzou asked.

"In two months," Ino spoke, "as long as everything returns to normal physically, she can try again. And it's going to take all of both our time to get this drug out of her system. It isn't like any other poison out there. We can't risk pulling it out too quickly."

"But that's what you did to Kankuro," Naruto retorted.

Sakura snapped at him, "I knew what I was working with and against then. This is latching on to my organs differently. It's not the same!"

"Who were the chosen males?" Sai asked, looking truly curious.

"Secret," Sakura hissed, bringing up her acting skills as well. What was he on about? "Only we and they know. With the exception of a very few confidents that need to know."

"I'm under the impression that it would be men that you are already close to and can rely on," Tenzou mentioned, wanting to know as much as possible. "Someone from within the team would be best."

"That's not exactly the case here," Kakashi answered almost too quickly. "The issue was to get the most compatible genetics together to encourage the Sharingan to manifest. Ino, being in a clan with strong traditions, techniques, and kekke genkai that would not disrupt use of a dojutsu, needed the genetics of a man with similar traits but with the more dominant traits the Uchiha shared. Sakura, as we know, is from a civilian family, the second kunoichi ever in either parent's line. Not only that, but we have just recently found that she was born with a kekke genkai that began to fully manifest last year. It, however, is like Ino's in that it will not interfere with dojutsu. The male doner for her child has no kekke genkai, but a high level of ability and control, however his genetics are also mostly passive. That way there was an even higher likelihood that the child would not be visually recognizable as having any Uchiha blood."

That ruled out a few people, but not enough. Obviously, the fathers themselves would know if either kunoichi had meddled with their sperm in any way. Sai, Naruto, and himself were at a loss as to whom the men were, meaning that none of them were in danger of becoming dads any time soon. But Kakashi obviously knew who they were. And Tenzou knew what buttons to push. He'd been working with the man for over fifteen years now, and they'd been friends for the last thirteen. Spend that much time with someone, and you'll learn quite a lot about them, even if they try to keep everything secret from you.

"Ino," Kakashi caught her attention fully, especially with the change in his posture and tone, "promise me you won't end up a puddle on the floor. I really would like to start dinner and not have to rush it down."

Ino was completely confused.

"It means the serious talk is over," Sakura explained, "and he wants to take his mask off."

"Oh," Ino shook her head, "no. I have eyes for just the one at the moment."

"Just the one?" Naruto pressed.

Ino blushed a little, "I happen to have a boyfriend."

"Who?" Sakura demanded.

Sai raised his hand.

"No fucking way!" Naruto's mouth hung open, completely shocked that Sai actually had a girlfriend.

"I take it," Tenzou hazarded a guess, "that he's the doner for yours then?"

Ino shook her head. "He didn't make the list."

"You seriously made a list?" Naruto questioned, head snapping her way again.

Sakura joined Ino in nodding, backing up the lie.

Kakashi just shrugged and lowered his mask to begin eating.

There were a few moments of silence as they ate, gathering thoughts, working through emotions, and putting them all aside for the enjoyment of the night. Such things had to be done on occasion. Compartmentalizing was essential for them. If they didn't, everything around them would be put at risk.

"So," Sakura looked carefully at each plate once her own was cleared, "who's ready for ice cream?"

"No way in hell are you getting off that couch to get it yourself," Kakashi pointed at her.

"That's why I was asking," Sakura lifted up her plate in his direction, "and you made volunteer status."

"Me, too!" Naruto held up his, followed by Sai and Ino. Tenzou just sat there trying not to laugh at their antics and the look of dread on Kakashi's face.

"Well, you do know their preferences better than the rest of us, senpai," Tenzou smirked.

"Actually, guys," Sakura spoke up again, "I need a minute with Ino."

"You got it," Tenzou stood up just after Kakashi took the girls' plates. "Come on boys."

"But-!" Naruto started to protest.

"I believe this is a situation where you will not win, dickless," Sai cut him off.

Naruto refused to bristle at the comment, instead he jerked to his feet and marched out of the room. The girls waited until they heard the sound of the guys fighting over the ice cream scoop before talking.

"I always serve the ice cream because they can't choose who gets to do it," Sakura smiled and shook her head.

Ino rolled her eyes. She knew that one, too, but over other things. Like sweets. "What's up, Sakura? How can I help you?"

"I...I need you to know that I'm not going to try again," Sakura explained softly. "He knew."

"Who knew what?" Ino asked, needing to know both answers very quickly.

"Sasuke knew I was pregnant," Sakura's fists clenched at a pillow in her lap. "He didn't know whose it was, though, and he was furious. He thought that one of the others on his team had done it. He killed him outright. Sasuke let me go."

"When did this happen?" Ino asked, eyes wide as she shifted to sit on the sofa next to Sakura, jarring the other's leg enough to make her wince. "Sakura, tell me!"

Sakura looked down at the pillow instead of into Ino's gaze. "Between escaping the ANBU from Lightning and Kakashi finding me."

"He found you half dead, Sakura," Ino reminded. "What happened?"

Sakura forced herself to look back up, to be brave. "The ANBU tortured and beat me like any other prisoner of our status. Someone was attacking the camp, though, someone with enough power to knock out fifty squads like they were toys. I didn't take the chance of looking back. I just hoped it was our people and got free...and I ran...I could barely breathe, but I ran. That's when this guy caught me by my ancle. He hid in the puddles left over from the rain. He recognized me, and he knocked me out.

"When I woke up, there was that redheaded bitch staring at me while she argued about whether or not to help me. I think she's the one that slipped me the drug. From within Lightning's ranks."

"...And that's when all hell broke loose at camp Taka, I'm assuming," Ino smirked. "But you would have already lost it, right?"

"No..." Sakura shook her head. "The large blond got in-between me and the red-head when Sasuke and the other guy were fighting. He...he also has a curse transformation. Anger anywhere around him is his trigger. Their fight frightened and upset him, and he ended up stepping backwards...right onto me. The red-head shoved him back farther, and I made another run for it...right as Sasuke killed the guy who brought me there.

"Sasuke chased me down, though he made the others stay behind," she continued. "He asked me if Suigetsu had been the one to rape me. I guess that's the puddle guy's name... But... I asked him how he knew instead. He told me that Karin had said I was pregnant. She, that red-head, she's a sensor type. Almost as good as Naruto when he tries. But... he just let me go after that. And then, something hit me from behind. There was yelling, and then I woke up with Kakashi carrying me."

"mmh..." Ino's lips tightened up. Some things just weren't adding up about Sakura's story. Well, they added up, but she wanted to know more. Much more. Still, it wouldn't do to harass Sakura right now. The fight wouldn't be fair.

Sakura, though, just couldn't bear to think about what part of her had put the most blood on Kakashi. She hadn't realized that two months of pregnancy would build up that much blood inside of her. She also hadn't realized the man could cry so hard while running flat out.

Naruto's head poked through the door, "Can we come in yet? Sakura's ice cream is melting and we didn't know what to make for you, Ino."

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"She sure is easy going around you guys considering what happened," Ino commented to Sai as he walked her back home.

Sai mulled that one over for a moment. The only one of them to really be within arm's length of Sakura the whole time was Ino, but from what Ino had said earlier, Sakura had been holding on to Kakashi's back when they showed up in the kitchen. She had even made the Hokage go bra shopping with her... Tenzou only got close to her once durring the evening/night to hand her a controller for the Atari. And Naruto had been out of even crutch range of her from the start except when he handed over a bowl of ice cream. With extra chocolate shavings, twice as many cherries, and a couple strawberries more than usual. Sai himself had also come into range of her once to pay her back for the few yen she'd loaned him a couple days before. He had felt her fingers tense when their hands brushed, even saw her whole arm tighten.

"She's fighting the fear tooth and nail," he replied to Ino. "You had your back to her most of the time, so you didn't see it, but I could. She's only comfortable with you and Kakashi-sama."

"Why him?" Ino asked right away. "I mean, she and I have both done exams on him, and I know for a fact that he's just as male as the rest of you! Why does he get preference over the rest of you? Even over Naruto?"

Sai nodded. "Even over Naruto... I guess it is because, for all the advances and comments he makes on women in general, he hasn't interacted with her in that manner. Naruto has tried many times to go out on dates with her as more than friends."

"What about you and Yamato?" Ino pressed farther.

"Tenzou-senpai treats her as more of an equal than the rest of us. But he has also made the occasional comment about her looks. He calls her boyish, and he has mentioned before that he prefers that body type, and green eyes. So she knows he's at least mildly interested in her, and interest isn't something safe for her right now. I messed up early by calling her ugly all the time, and then you beautiful. Not to mention she knows of our relationship. My being with you might make her think it's because I cannot be with her. I have observed this in others."

She smiled at him and took hold of his hand, "You're really growing in the social department. You know that? I'm proud of you!"

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"Naruto," Tenzou tossed a sealed container of the yasai tempura at the blond. "Ino and Sai already took what they wanted. Make sure you actually eat that."

"Vegetables...that aren't in the ramen... Are you sure it's really safe to eat this stuff?" Naruto questioned. He himself had avoided the tempura when eating earlier.

"The rest of us ate it; we're all still alive," he reassured. "I think you'll like it."

Naruto took a second look at the fried food. Yes, the rest of them had ate it. Yes, they were all still alive. It was worth a shot, he guessed. "Alright, fine, but only this much!"

Tenzou, placated, turned back to splitting up the remaining food. Everyone brought their own containers for left-overs they planned to eat. What wasn't consumed or placed into the personalized containers was transfered to the orphanage by way of Naruto's clones. It would be left right in the fridge and freezer. Sai always bought far too much ice cream, and Tenzou suspected his friendship with Naruto was the cause...especially after they found out the real reason Naruto always brought so much ramen to their little parties. Recently, Tenzou had started bringing extra sodas for the very reason of leaving it beside the remaining large amount of ramen for Naruto's clones to grab up on the way out the door. They were little reminders that they cared, and they wanted to help him help others. Sometimes little toys would pop up along side the sodas. Tenzou suspected Kakashi. And the little candies that landed in near the ice cream could possibly be Sakura's fault.

The greatest part was that the orphanage's staff still hadn't figured out where the extra treats came from. These were no mere anonymous donations. These were erratic surprises that left not a speck of dust out of place but appeared with only one clue each time. On the counter would be a simple piece of paper that read "Thank You."

It was a thanks for feeding and sheltering him until he learned to do it himself. It was a way of giving them all hope, too. The staff and the kids would benefit.

Naruto waited patiently while the food was separated before creating about six clones to handle the delivery. For a moment, he thought about slipping the yasai tempura into the mix, but he didn't. He would try it just like he said he would.

"Give Sakura-chan extra tempura," Naruto prompted, "she really likes the stuff."

Tenzou knew that, but he smiled and nodded as he put even more into her sectioned container than he'd planned.

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"Odd, three or seven," Kakashi said before raising the basket away from the dice. It revealed a six and a two. Not even odd.

"Pay up," Sakura smirked, holding her hand out to him...her battered one.

Kakashi didn't flinch. He refused to. It looked like a ton of rocks had smashed down on her, when in truth it was a combination of cuts from torture and the bruising from when a larger man had trampled over her in rage. The reddish-blond one known to be on Sasuke's team. Kakashi wanted very badly for her right side not to remind him of the past, but every glance at that arm made it harder. Was she testing him by reaching out with her right hand? Or had she just forgotten and was being as natural as she could force herself to be right now? He hoped it was the latter.

Gently, he put the coins he owed her into her palm, careful not to touch her skin.

"Your roll," Kakashi passed over the dice and small basket.

"Odd, five or eleven," Sakura turned over the basket, then pulled it away quickly. "Ha! Eleven! Pay up again!"

"Kuso!" Kakashi handed her the standard bet's worth again. "You're bleeding me dry, woman..."

Again it was Naruto that interrupted the proceedings of the living room. "Food's taken care of. You two ready to head out yet? Tenzou's already left."

"Mind helping me get Sakura settled in at her place?" Kakashi asked, happy to stop loosing money to the woman. "She's got the exact opposite luck of your baa-sama."

Naruto smiled a bit, "See, we're not exactly like them. Sure, I'll help."

Things packed up, Naruto found himself being pack mule for all three of their food containers and many bags of Sakura's shopping. Kakashi had ended up with all his own shopping, some of Sakura's bags, and her back pack. Sakura herself, though, only had to hop along between them on her crutches. When they came to the stairs, Naruto offered to change up the bags and help her, but she and Kakashi both gave a low chuckle as Sakura hopped up and rebalanced to dig out her house key and let the three of them inside.

"Just put everything on the floor in my bedroom. You know where the food goes," Sakura ordered as she hopped over to her favorite chair. "Oh, Kakashi, there's a small scroll in the top of my back pack. Will you open it for me and put the flower on the kitchen table?"

"Flower?" Naruto asked, putting her food away as Kakashi came back around with the small scroll in hand. "Why did you just get one, Sakura-chan?"

"It was a gift," Sakura called back, watching as it appeared again. Mostly, though, she was interested in what Kakashi's reaction would be.

He was still for a moment, as if he wasn't sure if Sakura realized yet what he really meant by it, and how dangerous it would be for Naruto to know.

"Oh, it looks like you have an admirer," Naruto commented. "Maybe a friend who wants more."

"Is that an admission, Naruto?" Kakashi teased, hoping to get Sakura's eyes off of him from where she sat looking in on them. "Because if it is, it was your best, most mature move on her yet."

Naruto trembled, "I know better than to do that. Sakura-chan would kill me, wouldn't you, Sakura-chan?"

Sakura just giggled, "Don't worry, Naruto. I know you didn't do it. You didn't even know I was back until after I got it."

Naruto paled suddenly. "Chikuso! I have to go!"

"What's wrong?" Kakashi and Sakura both questioned, all play gone from the house.

"Kuroda-san spotted one of my clones, and he's mad," Naruto explained. "He thinks I was causing trouble. I need to go explain about the food!"

"Alright," Sakura waved him off, "we'll see you tomorrow. Just don't let him wake the kids up."

Naruto nodded and bolted for the door.

Kakashi shook his head. For all the times that Naruto had snuck food into the orphanage, Kuroda-san had only caught him just now? That would be interesting to witness, but Sakura was more important at the moment. Closing the door Naruto had left swinging open behind him, Kakashi turned back to face Sakura. He was nervous as hell. He didn't know whether or not she'd had him open that flower infront of Naruto as a statement or as an opening to taunt the blond.

"That just about made me cry," Sakura smiled widely. "Do you have any idea how hard it was not to laugh at the look on his face when you asked him if it was an admission?"

Kakashi eased up and went back to his favored perch on her love seat. "It was interesting. I'm just happy he didn't find out it was me. What were you thinking? If he found out about me..."

"Found out what about you?" Sakura demanded. "That you're the one Ino and I chose for my-"

"Exactly," Kakashi cut her off, standing up again. "I don't want him knowing just how involved I am. He especially can't find out about what you really did with Ino's child. You know that if he figures out one of us, he'll get to the bottom of the other."

"I think they should know," Sakura countered. "I think he has a right to know. Both of them!"

"You mean he doesn't know about himself?" Kakashi blanched. "You didn't tell him that they were almost a perfect mach?"

Sakura looked down into her lap, "I'm not sure which is more dangerous. Telling him he's Sasuke's twin, or keeping it secret from him. There had to be some reason he was placed in ROOT from the time he was a year old. There had to be some reason he wasn't allowed to know his birth name. Besides, I could only find two records of him in the main house."

"Sasuke knew he had a twin," Kakashi picked up a little of the story from memory. "He told me that his brother died a cradle death, though. No reasons were found. The boy's heart just stopped beating. He just stopped breathing, and then his heart gave out. That could have been when Sai was transfered."

"I think so, too," Sakura nodded. "But the real question is still why. Why would they do that?"

Kakashi thought over it, "It's similar to what happened to Tenzou and his sister. She was adopted out, her name changed, contact kept to a minimum. He stayed with his mother for a long time, and then he was left on his own almost as much as Naruto once he was accepted into the academy. ROOT took him for a while, but he got out of it quickly. He was more loyal to Sandaime and Godaime than Sai ever was to Danzo, I suspect."

"I'm not so sure I really do want to tell them anything about it now," Sakura said. "Naruto will be very upset. Sai will probably be angry, and I have no idea how Tenzou will take learning that he's had a ticking time bomb of potential sharingan right under his nose all this time, especially when that bomb was loyal only to one of our biggest backstabbers here in Konoha. And what do you think any of them will say or feel when they find out about you?"

Kakashi mulled that one over. "Sai should be told that you didn't tamper with his sperm. And he should know exactly why that baby is all his. And his real name. Let him decide whether or not to tell everyone else. He has the right to it, and the right to decide how to handle things."

"Kakashi, that's worse than telling them about you!" Sakura practically jumped to her feet, but the motion jarred her leg just so and she winced, settling back into the recliner very slowly and carefully. "They could at least get it on a genetics standpoint with you, but what happens if the word spreads?"

Again, he was quiet, thinking things over. "They can't touch me. Or you. No records currently exist that can indicate me. That is, as long as you destroyed the lists correctly. As far as you are concerned, there's no foetus to test. They can't get hold of the evidence to prove you were pregnant before you left. Unless you've left something? Something in a diary? Ino's even?"

Sakura shook her head, "We agreed that the only records that would be kept longer than needed would be the ones we've memorized and the babies themselves. With the successes of these two, all documentation was burned to ashes that were then scattered in many places. They can't be put back together again by any jutsu. If they try, the pages will come back in a jumbled mess of a cheesy love story Ino and I made up. It would look like one of my old diaries that I burned along with it."

He nodded, proud of her. She had heeded his warning that ripped and even somewhat burned pages could be put back together by some people as long as all of the pieces and the ashes were together where they fell when the paper was ruined. He didn't know how they worked exactly, but he remembered seeing his father put one back together once, quite a long time ago. It could be done. It had to be protected against.

"Do you need me to stay here tonight?" he offered. "I'll have to be gone just after sunrise in order to get a shower and change of clothes before office hours, but that's all I've got to worry with. Shikaku and Iruka have had things covered since I took off to find you today."

"I'll be alright alone," she answered softly. "Thanks, though."

"Alright," Kakashi stood up and walked over to her. "I'll see you tomorrow evening."

"What for?" Sakura looked up at him in confusion.

"I want to address Sai about his family. You, he, and I will meet here at six. No protests. You'll tell him."

"I can do that tomorrow durring the day on my own," she sighed in frustration. "I'm meeting Ino to go over her dad's wedding plans. I think he will be there, too. Weddings interest him at the moment. Decorations especially from what Ino says."

"Ah, the big day moves in for Yamanaka Inoichi's second marriage, eh?" Kakashi smiled. "What does Ino think of having a step-mother?"

"It doesn't affect her much over all, really," Sakura shrugged. "She doesn't live there anymore, remember?"

"Oh, yes," Kakashi bent down to give her a quick hug. "Well. I'm still checking in at six."

"You don't need to," Sakura attempted, but he had already left.


	2. Honesty

Sakura had brought the proof with her, all of it except what had been destroyed by their own hands. Ino wasn't so keen on the idea of having the birth certificate, death certificate, and couple of photographs in her house, but when Sakura told her it was on Kakashi's orders, she couldn't legally refuse Sai learning anything. She just wished it didn't have to take place _here_.

But it did, and Sai was being very still, even for him. He wasn't just still and quiet like he often was when observing others or absorbing information. No, he was _tense_. Every line of muscle was deepened, his eyes narrowed as he looked at the papers and photos before him.

"This doesn't prove I'm the other child," Sai said, seemingly calm. "It just proves that there was one."

"Sai," Sakura sat down beside him carefully, "we tested your blood against his multiple times when we first came up with a test that showed a near perfect match. That's why I took that second sample. It was a better one, and Ino found a previous map of Sasuke's DNA. It was a match; identical. You're not just his twin, Sai, you're his _exact_ genetic copy. An _identical_ twin."

Sai looked over to Ino for confirmation, "The child?"

"It's yours only," Ino nodded, her hands resting protectively over her lower stomach. "The DNA blend test was with Sakura's, and we only used Sasuke's blood for that. We needed to know from a medical standpoint how that would turn out."

"Were those orders, or personal decisions?" he asked, continuing to stare at her.

"A bit of both," she answered honestly. "The orders were to get Sasuke's blood to blend perfectly and to do what we could to create a child that had a high chance of awakening or passing on Sharingan gene. It was a personal decision not to bother playing around with yours. Why bother, when you're his brother?"

Sai took a few breaths to calm himself, closing his eyes and forcing his body to relax. "Thank you for telling me truthfully. I already knew."

"But then-!" Sakura and Ino started together.

"These aren't my eyes," he cut them off, looking back at them a bit more sadly now. "Danzo took mine just after the Sharingan first activated in me. He replaced them with those of my brother...the one in my book that you took from me on our first mission together, Sakura. I was still useful enough that he didn't just kill me for them."

Ino reached out to touch his arm, but he pulled away and left the room as quickly as he could without running. The girls just shared a long look before even moving again.

"That's the most emotion," Sakura commented, "that I have seen in him in a long time. The most anger and sadness, anyway."

"I've seen him sadder once," Ino added... "But, Sakura, why do you get to know about Sai when I don't know who you chose?"

Sakura looked at her sharply, "He can't be found out. The whole village would be in an uproar if they knew!"

Ino smiled. "Then that means he's someone important. Possibly a bit older?"

Sakura blushed and looked away. She hated that Ino could guess so easily. "There are plenty of guys our own age that are important enough to cause issues."

"Then why didn't you blush until after I said 'older'?" Ino scooted closer to Sakura on the wrap around couch. "Was Yamato-san being as good of an actor as Sai-kun was last night?"

Sakura balked, "Ino, you know his kekke genkai make him completely incompatible! Besides, he's not...exactly...well he's not ready to be a dad. A protective uncle like Kakashi might be, but not a dad."

"But that's the point, isn't it? It's about the genetics, not the readiness of the father, or us for that matter! So, scratch Yamato... Oh, Kami, please tell me it's not someone like Gai-san!"

Sakura wrinkled her nose at that. "He'd be suffocating me if I even suggested getting samples from him."

Ino looked thoughtful..."Shiranui?"

"No."

"Ebisu?"

"No."

"Raido? Kotetsu? Aoba? I hear he's good with fire techniques, which would make sense."

"No, no, no, and no, Ino." Sakura sighed, getting tired of this already.

"Certainly not Morino-san?" Ino wrinkled her nose.

"Ino, he's not among the tokubetsu jonin, so you can quit while you're ahead with the fact the man's older than we are."

"On to the Jonin, then... Mimura-san, or Mokume-san?"

"Don't know them." Sakura shook her head.

"Okay, too old for you to know about... Ookei? Izumo? Sarugaku-san? Tatami-san? Tobitake-san? Hayase-san? Shimon? Mozuku? Natori-san?"

"None of the above," Sakura waved off the names. "Besides, I don't know half of them anyway as anything more than their stays in the hospital. If that."

"You wouldn't go after our old teacher, Iruka-sensei, would you? He's not bad looking..."

"The requirement was for a person with _recessive_ genes, Ino."

Ino's eyes widened. She had purposefully not mentioned three of the four most likely candidates based on what she knew Sakura's relationship with them was. There were only three of those men. Technically, one was younger than Sakura, but still, Ino had no proof that the man was older than Sakura.

"Naruto?"

Sakura made a face, "He'd be blabbing about it non-stop or doing other things to give it away while we're in Konoha."

"Tenzou has too many dismissing factors... So it has to be Kakashi-sama!" Ino deduced.

"Is that the best you can come up with?" Sakura questioned. "Sure, there'd be problems with that scenario, but there's others, too. So will you please back off?"

And there was the break in her pattern. She had asked a question. "Oh. My. Kami!"

Sakura's expression fell into dread. Ino had got it.

"You used our own Hokage!" Ino asked, eyes wide. "That's much bolder than anything I'd ever thought of...but...it does make sense. He can control a full blown Sharingan well and has no known kekke genkai of his own, not to mention very recessive genetics governing his coloration and other features... He actually agreed to do this for you?"

"Ino, please," Sakura sighed, dropping her face into her palms, "you know he and I have become close friends. It's bad enough I think Kotetsu believes there's something more going on just because Kakashi was at my house when you and Shizune and Shikaku all sent him looking for us."

Ino pounced on that day, too, "But isn't there? Sakura he brought you that flower. Before that, he went through enemy territory pretty much alone to get you. He went through that same territory with you as a burden and absolutely nobody to watch his back. Most other people would have just killed you and destroyed your body so that the enemy couldn't have it, and then they would have gotten the hell out on their own. Standard orders, Sakura, that he came up with. He broke those orders for you. He likes you as more than a close friend.

"See, Naruto is a close friend to you," Ino continued, "and Tenzo-san and Sai-kun are good friends. Kakashi likes you, but he's too hung up on protocol to tell you! Oh this is so great! Do you think he'll let you get _it_ yourself for the next try?"

Sakura wrinkled her nose, looking back up in disgust, "NO! Besides, I told you already. I'm not going to try again. We've got Sai ready and willing to fuck you at every turn, remember? That leaves me free to focus on healing up to get back on the battle field. Where I belong."

Ino moved over by her side, somber again, "but what happens if you don't get back on the field, Sakura? What happens if you never recover enough?"

"I _will_ recover enough to work through the rest," Sakura replied. "Lee was brought back from being crippled. Sasuke was brought back from Itachi's illusions before he even knew how to work them himself. I can be brought out of both situations. Besides, if all else fales, I can always ask Lee for his free time to train, right?"

"He'll make more moves on you."

"Terrible ones."

"Just... promise me you're not still waiting for Sasuke? I really do think you have plenty enough people here that can take very good care of you...or that you can take very good care of depending on the situation," she ended with a giggle.

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Sakura didn't even look up when he entered. She was dozing off in her chair, medical book open in her lap. One hand held a light blanket up to her collar bone, while the other peeked out to lay on top of the pages of the book. Her mouth hung open as she snored lightly, the lamp light catching a little bit of drool starting to form in the corner of her mouth.

Either she was that exhausted, or she trusted his presence that much.

The very fact that she hadn't stirred at all, and remained peacefully asleep-truly asleep and not faking-sent a little shiver down his spine. She had always known when he was coming before, and she would always try to tidy up a little the moment she felt his presence headed her way. This had to be the first time since her father's death that anybody was able to do this.

"Sakura-chan?" Kakashi called gently, still frozen in the door way just in case she woke up in a fit and threw something at him. Reaction time was a must, and the closer he was to her, the less time he'd have to dodge. That book looked especially heavy.

"NARUTO!" Sakura shot into an upright position, breathing quickly turned heavy and fast, eyes widened, fists clamped as she attempted to take a long L stance. She promptly slipped thanks to the cast and fell into the splits instead. "AAH!"

Kakashi was at her side instantly, not waiting for her to realize where she was. He pulled her into his arms and helped her get her legs together again on the floor, talking softly the whole time. "Sakura-chan, calm down. Slow down. Wake up."

She was crying, clinging to his shirt and shaking. "Don't let them take Naruto! Please! Please, don't! Kakashi, don't let them take him away, too!"

He was confused. Too? Who else had been taken? He'd think on that later. Right now, she needed to calm down. "Nobody's taking Naruto away from you, Sakura. He's safe. You protected him well."

"Are you sure?" she looked up at him, clearly out of it. "Where are we?"

"We're at your place," Kakashi replied. "Remember?"

She looked around, very out of her element, "No... my head hurts..."

Kakashi frowned. "When I came in, you were snoring in your chair. You looked relaxed."

Sakura shook her head, not believing it, "No. No, that's not true. I was with you and Naruto near Suna..."

His frown deepened. The last time that all three of them were together near Suna was two years ago. "Sakura, I'm going to get one of your short-bags, and we're going to get you to the hospital, alright? Your head-ache isn't good."

"Mmh, just give me some aspirin or something first. It's more than my head. Everything hurts...even my soul..." she replied, looking down at her casted, left leg in confusion. "When did this happen?"

"Now do you believe me?"

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Seizures.

That was her diagnosis. She must have had one not long before he walked through the door, but not one violent enough to kick her out of the chair.

Hearing this, Kakashi knew that he could never put Sakura into the field again. She wouldn't want to hear it. She would try to convince herself it was a side-effect of the poison that did nothing other than change her chakra production. The real truth was, her brain itself was damaged. And now...that damage would only be getting worse every time she had a seizure. Eventually, she might even end up with full blown episodes which would wear down her joints significantly.

Sakura was adamant, however, that it would resolve itself. _IF_ they could reverse the poison. She was sure that was the trigger for the whole thing. Kakashi wasn't so sure. The examiner was certain that the damage wasn't wholly due to that, but only a very small percent. Something else had happened. But, could Sakura remember it if the damage erased the memory before it could be fully stored? Not likely.

Nor would she be allowed to operate on patients ever again. No use of tools other than chakra would be acceptable via hospital rules.

"Don't look at me like that," Sakura practically begged when she realized what was going on behind his eyes. "I probably took a good knock to the head before you got to me out there, and it just took this long to manifest a reaction. It will heal over time like with any other civi. I've seen this before."

"I'm sure you have," Kakashi replied, sitting down on the side of her hospital bed... a place she had oh so recently managed to escape. "You have a year yet to prove to me that-should everything else be resolved-this will have at least started to heal on its own. If not... I cannot allow you to continue as a kunoichi in the field. Your only real option as a ninja will be to teach at the academy."

"I know, and... I meant to ask you about that. Would it be alright for me to make some extra money being a sub at the academy for a while?"

That threw him off. She was really going to ask about that? She really just did? "I know of two teachers looking to take their vacations soon. I believe you could fill in for one durring his week, and then the other immediately following that for his vacation."

Good. This way, if things didn't work out, she'd at least have her foot in the door. "What age ranges?"

"First years on the second class, and near-graduates on the first. Do you have preferences or something?"

"No, just curious as to what you're wanting to put me through," she smiled lightly at him. "Kami, why does everything hurt so much? When did we get to the hospital?"

Bad, bad side effects. "You really don't remember what we were doing yesterday, do you?"

"We were in Suna-"

"No, Sakura," he cut her off. "We were going to discuss whether or not you told Sai the truth."

"We're not even sure his will work yet," Sakura whispered. "We have no reason to tell him anything yet! Why are you asking me this?"

It really, really hurt him to think on it. He remembered every detail of finding her bleeding out into the mud and rushing her home again, remembered the fact that she lost the baby, she was raped, beaten, and her chakra flow broken to pieces. She didn't remember anything at all from the past two years. Except... she was about three months behind now... so things were starting to come back together for her. Quickly, but for how long until the next mini-reboot? How many mini-reboots would there be before it all stuck together? Would it all stick together again before the next episode?

"Sakura-chan, I know you won't believe me, but it's your birthday today," he said, giving her a bit of perspective. "Your twenty-third."

Her eyes widened. That should have been nearly a year away yet! "What? Why don't I remember up to now, then?"

"You had a seizure," he explained. "You've recently suffered a lot, including blunt force trauma to the head, massive blood loss, chemical assault, miscarriage, broken leg... and rape. The physical trauma would account for the seizure. The seizure or the realization of the rape could account for the memory loss. Most likely the seizure."

Her breathing was rough, anger all over her face. "Who the hell had the power to do something like this to me?"

"The company Sasuke keeps these days, of course," he reminded. "I have to go home before Shizune decides to imprison me here for a full exam of my own. I'll check in on you in the morning when they release you."

She watched as he stood and walked towards the door before she called after him. "You saw me, didn't you?"

"Hmm?" he looked over his shoulder.

"Beaten," she semi-clarified.

"I still have the clothes with your blood on them."

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He didn't like explaining why he kept a box of bloody clothes sitting in a storage compartment three blocks down from where he lived, but it did have to happen on occasion.

It may have been only superstition when Minato relayed the warning to him, but Kakashi had found himself living by it. If he burned clothes that had a wounded, but still living person's blood on them, said person would die within a day. If he did not burn the clothes of someone who did die of their wounds within a day of their death, he would die in a manner somehow related to what killed the blood's owner. This was only true of allies. If it were enemy blood, it wouldn't matter one way or another. If there were many people's blood, he was safe as long as one of them still lived.

Each event's ruined clothes were placed in their own plastic bag, dated, and labeled with the names, dates, and places of who, when, and where the clothes were bloodied.

However, on the other side of that small room was another pile of plastic containers, much smaller than the bags he used on his clothing. These were full of the ashes of previously burnt clothing.

As he re-checked the names on the bagged side, Kakashi made a special stop at one set of burnt clothing. Inuzaka Rin was the name, and the date of burning followed directly underneath, nine years ago this very day. Sakura's birthday, too.

He didn't have anything to lay at her memorial site, or even a present for the living young woman.

He wasn't sure either woman really wanted his company right now. After all, Rin had died due to miscarriage, and Sakura had just gone through one herself due to the fact that Kakashi hadn't been there to watch her back... both of the babies having his DNA. It just wasn't right. It hurt too much to think about giving any gifts this time of year, which was precisely why Sakura hardly ever got any birthday presents from him, and why he couldn't make the one and a half block trip from the main memorial stone with Obito's name on it to the little one he'd set up nine years ago near the Inuzaka compound for his one time wife.

He usually asked Obito to carry messages for him.

"Hatake-sama?" a male voice called out through the aisle of storage spaces. "The gateman said you were here, so you might as well stop hiding and come on out."

Yeah, he should have listened when Tsunade said this place wasn't a safe hiding spot. Well, he probably couldn't even hide these things from the man ordering him around right now.

"I'm over here, Inoichi-san," Kakashi called out to the older man, stepping outside and locking the door behind him before Yamanaka Inoichi could get a good enough look at what was inside. "What's up?"

"You are needed in the office," Inoichi informed him. "You've been needed there for the past three days."

"I have other priorities at the moment," Kakashi shrugged. "My friend is in need of someone to look after her."

Inoichi was not amused, "Ino-chan has been doing that. Not you."

Kakashi sighed, then looked over the older man with a bit of hesitation, "I know you have to have some knowledge about Ino-chan's past year's work with Sakura-chan. Am I correct?"

"I skimmed some papers that she immediately ripped away from me a few months ago. I read enough to know they were looking at male candidates compatible with Uchiha Sasuke's DNA," Inoichi answered, looking a bit angry. "Don't tell me you've ordered my daughter to start working on the same things Orochimaru was. If you have, I'll see to it you won't leave Konoha alive."

Kakashi smirked and lightly shrugged. "I'm sure you'd find someone capable of taking me out, but the real question is whether or not they'd want to."

"Kakashi-" Inoichi warned.

He straightened up and met the older man's eyes, "She is working on only one thing Orochimaru started, and then stepped away from. It wasn't going to lead him down the path to his ultimate goal, so he let it be, but it still is useful to the council, and to me. I ordered her to find a way to tie Sasuke's genetics into two kinds of male's sperm and find someone willing to go through with a pregnancy if she could successfully create a viable embryo. With this we hope to bring back the Sharingan as a weapon of Konoha's people, not just my last resort techniques."

Inoichi's expression softened a bit, but then became confused. "Why didn't she go ahead and tell me this?"

"All test subjects were to be kept totally anonymous, even from one another. Not even their families were to get a hint that anything was going on. Each girl was to already have a stable relationship or have a lifestyle that could lend itself to accidental pregnancy so that their friends and family didn't catch on to anything out of the ordinary going on."

"You're saying she chose herself to be one of them," Inoichi asked, his voice hardened. "That my daughter is trying to get pregnant by someone other than that boy called Sai? Is this true?"

Kakashi chose not to answer that just yet, "Sakura-chan was working with her, and she chose to be the second female subject. They managed to create viable embryos with their own eggs, and the altered sperm of two trusted males. Interestingly enough, however, Ino chose not to use the one she created. She is already pregnant by Sai himself."

Inoichi took that a bit easier than Kakashi was expecting to happen. "I had suspected as much. But... This does not tell me why _you_ get to stay out of the office for so long. Sakura accepted the mission that brought her back in that shape. If she left knowing she was pregnant, it's her own damn fault that-"

"I didn't give her the choice on whether or not to take the mission," Kakashi cut him off. "I also hadn't been informed yet that she had already implanted the embryo. I did the same thing to her that I did to Rin."

"Kakashi," Inoichi stepped closer to the younger Hokage, "I know what you felt about loosing her, but Sakura is not Rin, and her baby-if it took-wasn't yours. Besides, she's going to be alright. Ino is working very hard on getting the poison reversed. You are needed to help run this village, not sulk over something that happened years ago. I'm sure her boyfriend is happy you were able to bring her back home as well as you did."

Kakashi shook his head. "She used _mine_. The baby was _my_ baby. And, she's gotten worse. She's having seizures, memory jumbles and even lapses. And I... Just before I received Sai's emergency message, I was about to ask her to dinner... and then to marry me. So, you see... It's almost exactly what I did to Rin... Gave her my sperm, gave her a baby I didn't know about until after she was in harm's way, and damn near killed her even though a couple weeks before I was going to propose to her. The only difference is that Rin died loosing the baby. Sakura wasn't far enough along to make a miscarriage as big of an ordeal."

Inoichi looked on him with kinder eyes now. "I'm going to ask you something very delicate, Kakashi. Answer it wisely. Should you have not needed to send her away, would she have accepted your proposal?"

"Hmm?" Kakashi asked, not sure which woman he meant.

"Would Sakura have accepted without hesitation?" Inoichi asked.

Kakashi nodded, "I believe so. We practically live at each other's homes, and she's mentioned preferring my surname to hers many times."

"I know you weren't intimate. Ino would have siad something if you were."

He got the gist. "No, not sexually. We've flirted and made out infront of Naruto to tease him about not knowing a thing about being with a woman, but... that bit of teasing was as far as things went."

"But you were intimate on other levels?"

"Inoichi, why are you prying like this?" Kakashi asked, irritated. "All I can tell you is what I believe she would have done. Sakura can't be read by past experiences or her looks anymore. It's been a very long time since any of us could predict her with a hundred percent accuracy. You know this."

Inoichi took a breath. "Well... You said she's had memory trouble because of seizures, correct?"

He nodded.

"What if we just tell a little lie to the rest of the council to cover your ass for hovering over her like this? If you're mostly sure she would have agreed, and she won't remember you _not_ asking her to marry you..."

"It would also cover for the pregnancy hormones should anyone come asking," Kakashi finished, understanding. "In the mean time, I just don't even mention it to her. It wouldn't be out of my character to try and win her over a second time, would it? Without telling her that we had been engaged, I mean."

"It worked with Ino's mother, and I only did it because your father told me to try it. I think it'll work just fine for you," Inoichi smiled at him. "I'll go tell the council of your...confessions to me. Then I'm going to have a word with my daughter and her child's father."

Kakashi went to thank the man with a nostalgic salute, but the Yamanaka Clan leader was already gone.

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Morning came, and Kakashi was actually on time for Sakura's release... three hours after it stopped being morning. The hospital was back-loged with patients, and Sakura understood fully well why it took so long to get to her. After all, despite her high status with the hospital itself, her medical needs weren't as great as many of the others currently admitted.

And he brought something in a brown paper bag.

"Close your eyes, Sakura," he instructed.

"Eh? Why?" Sakura asked, confused.

"Do you want to know what's in here, or not?" he teased, lifting the bag. "Close your eyes and open your mouth."

Still a little wary, she did as she was told. Feeling the pressure of something a little sticky on her lips and tongue, she bit down cautiously, hoping not to bite Kakashi's fingers.

"Keep your eyes closed until you recognise it," Kakashi instructed.

She already had the instant she bit down. First sweet, honey covered rice, and then sour, salty fruit. She opened her bright eyes to him, happily declaring, "Honey and rice covered umeboshi!"

"Happy belated birthday, Sakura-koi," he told her, slipping into calling her what he wanted instead of what he was generally allowed. However, it worked to start the hint dropping about his feelings towards her.

And, it seemed she caught on, "And what kind of a date is this a precursor to, then? If you're going to call me that and feed me one of my favorites, you'd better have a date planned out! Don't you dare leave it at this!"

"Well, now that you mentioned it, I do have something waiting for us about a mile out of Konoha."

"A mile!" she balked.

"Don't worry, I'll be transporting us both. I've got a couple clones waiting to be replaced with you and I," Kakashi lifted his hands in social defense, then thrust the rest of the umeboshi at her. "Here, take these until we can legally take you off hospital grounds."

Sakura dug in to the rest of the first one, snatching the bag from Kakashi's hand in the process. Then she asked around a full mouth, "O at is e atch?"

"Stop trying to talk like Naruto. It's hard enough to understand him," he teased.

She swallowed and paused in her eating just long enough to clarify, "So, what is the catch?"

He wanted to say something on the lines of the catch hopefully being her, but that wouldn't do. "No work. No talk of work. Just two people enjoying one another's company for however long I can keep you from worrying about anything, or until someone brings something to me that just can't wait another second."

"And," she chewed on, "how many people know where to find us?"

"Just us."

Sakura smiled brightly. "I knew there was a reason I still hang out with you these days, Kaka-sensei."

Kakashi let her see his whence at that. "Do we really have to stick with that, Sakura-chan?"

"As long as you keep calling me chan, I will keep calling you sensei."

"Time before last I called you koi."

"Which is why I made you explain what you've got plans for."

The door opened before he could cuss at her for that one, admitting an elderly nurse with a wheel chair. "All of your paperwork is finalized, Sakura-chan. You're free to get as far away from this place as you wish for the next few days. Shizune doesn't have you scheduled for the next five."

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Stretched out across the quilt next to her empty plate, Sakura watched as Kakashi napped on the other side of the food. Or, at least, he was pretending to nap. He did look peaceful, and tired, just not asleep. It was amazing that he relaxed so much around her. She didn't know it was possible to see him so still and not calculating his next move in a fight, or how to slip away unnoticed. Right now, he was just there, in the moment, calm, relaxed.

He could feel her eyes on him. Good, she was staring. Kakashi suppressed a smirk. She'd see the shift in his mask if he let it slip out. He decided to see if he could gage her reaction to a little flex and stretch, a show off of muscle left open to the world by his sleeveless shirt.

Sakura watched intently as Kakashi shifted, lifting his hips to untuck his shirt, cross his wrists to pull it up over his head, taking his mask away with it. She knew she'd seen his face several times before, but never in the open like this, never somewhere he might be caught. Of course, as she thought on it a bit more, watching his stomach rise and fall with his slow, steady breaths, the possibility of getting caught was half the fun. She didn't know who this bare chested show was for, or if he really was just getting more comfortable, but she decided she liked it. She liked the soft, silver hair on his arms and chest, the thin little trail that went down his sternum, around his belly button, and down below his belt, promising more below. It was a mystery to her how the man's hair could be so uniform in color.

"That isn't...natural...is it?" Sakura couldn't help but ask.

"Hmm?" Kakashi looked over at her. "What?"

"Your hair color. It's uniform but for a couple grey hairs here and there. No darker anywhere else?"

He gave her a half grin, "Do you want to look or something?"

The look on her face was priceless, making him chuckle a bit.

"You are such a pervert!" she smacked him across his left bicep.

"It's natural, Sakura," he told her, massaging his arm where she'd left a pink spot with her fingertips. "It's a visual marker of my genetic heritage just as much as the Hyuuga are born with white irises, and the Akimichi are large. My family has its own clan techniques and kekke genkai. Not many of us ever activate it, but the moment we do, all our hair grows silver-white from then on."

Sakura absorbed that information, and thought it over carefully, "Then you lied to me when you said you fit what I was looking for in the experiments."

He frowned. "Remembering better now, huh? Yeah, I lied. However, it's Hatake blood that allowed Sasuke to be a lightning type in the first place. You know very well that families share similar groupings of chakra types. One of my grandfather's cousins was Sasuke's grandfather. My genetics would suit your needs without interfering kekke genkai. I'm actually still waiting to see if Sasuke possesses the ability to activate the Hatake secrets or not. If he does... I'll have to start working with it again."

"Why did you stop?" she questioned, letting go of her anger at him over the lie.

"I stopped so that I could maintain and develop the sharingan. It takes far too much to use both of them even in training. If I go back to my bloodline, I will have to give up the Sharingan completely for at least a week first, and then not pick it up again until dropping my bloodline for a week. Although, I would last longer in a fight and not have as great a drain on my body afterwards."

"Then what's the downside of letting go of the sharingan?" Sakura prodded farther.

"I might go to it without even thinking, overexert my chakra in only a few seconds and drop dead a minute later," he said. "Sasuke might not have that problem considering he's been born naturally to both, but I have Hatake and a little bit of Sarutobi three or four generations back."

Sakura's eyes went wide. That was a lot of information to take in. "And the council hasn't ordered you to get hitched and start making babies yet?"

Well... "I did try. Twice."

"Are you counting my...experience... as one of them?"

Kakashi nodded.

"And the first time was?"

"Rin." came his quick, whispered reply.

"Oh..." Sakura reached over to lay her hand on his.

He smiled softly at her gesture. "Now do you understand, Sakura? Now do you understand why I don't open up to women? I'm why your cousin died, Sakura. She was pregnant before we left, but we didn't know. Things were getting rough back here, and we were ordered back, bot of us. I wrote to the Hokage explaining her condition, but he would have none of it. We were attacked, and her body decided to make her have the baby right then and there. It hadn't turned yet...so... he got stuck, and...she bled to death. In my arms."

Sakura shoved her plate and everything else between them away so that she could be near him and just hold him to her. She could see the pain in his eyes as he spoke, locked onto her face as if pleading for something...anything to make it alright. He was so open and honest with her that she didn't know what else to do. Sure, he'd shown her more over the past few years, he'd shown them all more, but this was so much more personal that anything had been before.

"That's... Why are you sharing this with me?" she asked, holding him tightly. "What makes you trust me so much?"

"Because I think I'm in love with you," he answered honestly, telling her sooner than he'd anticipated. Why? She was so soft, so comforting, even though she was in worse shape than he'd seen her in a very long time, probably the worst ever, yet she was here with him, comforting him, holding him like a lover would a crying partner. He didn't even have to let her see him cry for her to know how much he hurt inside, how frightened he was for her... Did she realise that he was off because of how deeply it hurt to see her this way?

"Seeing you like that, knowing that you lost the baby, right there in my arms... I realised how much I need you in my life." She loosened her grip when he propped himself up on an elbow to look down at her, "Do you think you could give me a chance, Sakura, to make you feel loved and wanted? Give me the chance to treat you like a woman first, then a Kunoichi and medic?"


	3. Every Now and Then

Sakura's grip loosened; she pulled away. "Are...are you asking...me to...mary...?"

His face was blank, hardened for a split second. Kakashi realized he needed to back off quickly. Looking up at her, he could see what looked like fear and confusion. He couldn't blame her, after everything that had happened recently, and what he'd just told her, this was no time to be asking her for a more affectionate relationship. In less than three seconds, he edited his previous question.

"I meant would you let me date you...more seriously than as close friends? I just want the chance, Sakura."

She definitely looked less like she was deciding whether to bolt or to slap him. Still, she was watching him very carefully. There was no way being with him would bring her any kind of normalcy, or even get her back to lunging headlong into the battlefield. He couldn't bring her jumbled memories back into order, or go on random missions by her side. She'd be targeted far more as his love interest than as his former student by enemies both seen and unseen.

Sakura was also in a weakened state physically and emotionally. This wasn't the time for a decision like this.

"Not now." Sakura whispered, sitting up and facing away from him. "You're asking too much of me right now."

Kakashi reached out to gently grasp her damaged right arm, only to have it smacked away again. "Sakura?"

"Don't touch me," she muttered, her breath unsteady. Was she trying not to lash out at him, or was it that she was trying not to cry because they could never go back to the way things were before?

Kakashi believed she would be justified in both right now. He had acted now, while she was vulnerable without thinking about her calculating mind. She wouldn't allow herself to be impulsive and just say yes and work through it later. She'd over think the problems of his proposal and not attempt to find the good in it. He'd acted far too fast and at a very bad time. And it was too late to stop it, already things were changed between them.

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_Running... Running..._

_Trees were a blur as she passed by them. Her footing slipped several times, even on normal surfaces. Something was off. Something...many things...inside._

_Her right leg sent jarring pain with every slight pressure on it. There was a small, yet slightly itchy puncture wound on her left shoulder, a bit of the needle had broken off in her skin. She had fought it, but they got most of the liquid in her before she broke the damn thing. Blood ran down her thighs. Pain flared with each movement of her legs, and in a separate, almost rhythmic way higher up, just under her naval._

_She hoped it would stop. If it didn't..._

_She had tested herself while on the road towards half of her team multiple times, and she had come up positive three days ago. If this didn't stop, she'd have to go through it all again in a couple months, and she wasn't sure she wanted to ask that of Kakashi again._

_A flash of black right infront of her, still red eyes darkened again to dark gray as she bumped into him headlong._

_"I'm not going to hurt you this time, Sakura," he told her quickly. "Just answer me this. Was it Suigetsu?"_

_"What?" she asked, confused and backing up. She tripped over a branch and fell on her backside, pain ripping through every hair on her body and causing her to cry out._

_Sasuke knelt at her side, eyeing her over. "You're in no condition to fight, or run. I'll leave you if you answer me. Did Suigetsu rape you?"_

_"No." she shook her head, still confused as to why he was asking her this. "Why?"_

_"Karin said you are pregnant."_

_Sakura nodded, clutching at her leg with one hand, and her abdomen with another. "Probably not much longer."_

_"But you will survive?"_

_"If...help comes..."_

_Sasuke offered her a hand. "Whoever's behind me won't help you."_

_"And you?" she asked, suspiciously._

_"That baby's innocent."_

_She understood, and reached out with a hand. As he pulled her up, his eyes flashed red again, and she realized he was focusing behind her just before something hard smacked her in the head._

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_Machigai may not have been as unfortunately named as Kakashi had originally thought. The idiot didn't listen at all when Kakashi told him not to approach Sasuke from the front. Lightning ninja were on their way from the same direction-behind Sakura, and infront of Sasuke. And then Machigai was beat to the punch by an enemy shinobi that attacked Sakura on his way to Sasuke._

_The Lightning shinobi was caught in Sasuke's dojutsu just after striking Sakura. Machigai used the distraction to try and attack Sasuke, who then struck Machigai down in one surprise blow from the side with a lightning clone. Kakashi decided he needed to stick with previous partners more than these new kids to the ANBU ranks. They tended to fuck up by not thinking things through quite as much. Then again, Sasuke really was fast._

_More from Lightning were showing up, and Sasuke turned back to Sakura. Kakashi jumped out from his observation point then, between Sasuke and the immobile Sakura. There was no telling whether or not Sasuke was still willing to help her._

_Surprisingly, Sasuke just stared at him for a moment, then turned around to face the enemy. Kakashi's and his enemy._

_"Get her to some help," was Sasuke's only words before taking off back towards the rest of his team._

_Kakashi didn't take the time to contemplate the younger man's strange behavior. Instead, he snatched Sakura up as fast as possible, and took off back the way he had come._

_Sometime later, Sakura awoke slightly, crying out and giving away their position. He had to set her down and bring out the dogs for protection. He only got one word from Sakura durring that time. Miscarrying._

_From his understanding, she had actually become pregnant about three months before this, but felt secure enough to continue working for a while more. Chemical tests showed that she wasn't pregnant, but more accurate checks showed she was, especially with her three months of missed periods in a row and the ultrasound pictures starting to show a little form inside. Why she bothered to keep using chemical tests, he didn't understand. She refused to ever confirm the pregnancy even to him._

_And now..._

_Pakkun whined, pressing his nose to Kakashi's blood soaked hand. "Another one, boss?"_.

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Sakura woke up gasping for breath. She could literally feel the cramping in her abdomen, the throbbing in her leg, and the hit to the back of her head in her dreams. And there was something else. She could practically taste cum in her mouth. Cum and dirt. Not to mention the feeling of hand shaped bruises on her hips, thighs, and neck.

She could still hear the voices of the men in her head, as if it were more of a bad memory than a dream. It was like the dreams she had of Sasuke several years ago when he first left, and again when they met up intermittently. They were always little variations and replays of their meetings, but they never strayed far from the truth. Did this mean she was dreaming of past rapes? When she lost the baby?

She didn't remember much about that part yet. Were these actual memories? Or were they just vivid, smashed together ideas of the truth her mind was actually trying to tell her heart?

It probably didn't matter, only that there was truth to it. And that was the scary part. Her inability to defend herself after so many years of being a kunoichi was wrong. She shouldn't have been allowed to pass even for a genin.

"Forehead!" a singsong, feminin voice floated from the other end of the hall. "I've got something else for you to swallow! Are you up yet?"

Ino. That's right. Ino was bringing in another test mixture to get her chakra back in line. Sakura hurried to pick up the mental pieces as her bedroom door opened, revealing the peppy blond.

"Ah, you are awake," Ino smiled, sitting on the bedside. "Ready for this one? I added a little something from Mist this time. The Kage herself spoke with me by radio and gave some ideas. It seems she likes you now."

"Or, maybe it's because we have the same taste in men," Sakura grumbled back. "I hear she has a thing for Uchiha and doesn't want their gorgeousness gone forever."

"Don't you go making eyes at my boyfriend, Sakura," Ino warned.

"Wouldn't dream of making eyes at anybody right now. Least of all him. You can be the mother of the Uchiha clan. I don't want it anymore." Sakura looked away.

Ino pressed the small vile into Sakura's hands. "You sound just as bad as Kakashi-sama today."

Sakura's head popped up quickly, "You've seen him today?"

She nodded, "Duh. I had to help out with the anual check ups this morning while this cooled down and settled. Seriously, it's two in the afternoon. What are you doing still in bed?"

The pinkett shook her head, then downed the bluish liquid. Making a sour face, she replied, "Had a hard time getting to sleep. Nightmares, too. I think some of them were partial memories."

"About the rape?"

"Yes. And Kakashi finding me."

"I think he's been focusing on that, too. Kurenai and her son were in the waiting room across from him. He looked at them a lot and seemed very sad."

Sakura took a second to think about her next words. "He was almost a father once. A real father. She died in his arms the way I almost did."

"And now he thinks he's in-love with you, I bet," Ino concluded.

"He asked me to date him, but I think his original intention was for marriage, yes."

Ino's eyes went wide. "Holly shit, Sakura! What happened?"

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"Can't do it, sensei," Naruto smirked. "You can't punish me with a D-Rank tomorrow. Mitchi-san asked me to cover PE for him at the school."

"The civilian school?" Kakashi asked, worried for the children there. "You accepted it?"

"Well, yeah. It can't be that hard, can it? He said just to have them do a couple warm-ups inside, then stretch out a bit and go run laps around the field."

"I thought you wanted to finish up the requirements for joining ANBU. If you're going to do that, you'll need to complete your Genin requirements with five more D-rank missions in-city before I can officially make you a chunin. Then six more C=ranks to complete official Jounin. You've got all the B and A requirements to a jounin now."

"Then why can't you count this one as a C?" Naruto questioned.

"Because Mitchi-san didn't go though the right channels to make it that way. Sorry, Naruto-kun, but I'm going to make sure you do this right."

Naruto's eyes narrowed. Do this right? Kakashi had never really cared how things were done as long as they were done smart and worked. Not only that, but Naruto had gotten smart and looked up the records of several Jounin he knew. 80% of Kakashi's C and D rank missions were done with teams he was training, not when he was a genin himself. He was promoted due to skill and need, not in a by-the-book manner the way he was pushing Naruto.

"Come on, Kakashi-sensei, you know you don't have to make me do this! You didn't have to!"

"And I also am known for being a genius, unlike you..." Kakashi mumbled before declaring, "I'm in charge now, not your father. Things that fall under my jurisdiction will be done my way. Seeing as we are not in as great a time of need as we were at my promotion, I refuse to let you skip ranks. You'll be working closely with Hyuuga Hinata as well. She is taking on her first genin team. You'll be working on their D-ranks with them to complete your requirements... after you finish your obligation to Mitchi-san."

Well, at least he was being kind enough to send him under a gentle lead rather than forcing him to work under someone like Kiba. That would suck. Then again, with how much trouble Kiba often joined him in, Naruto was surprised that the Inuzaka wasn't being forced through this, too. Oh, that's right, he had already passed chunin years before Naruto had.

"Just trust me, Naruto. This is for the best. If you're going to succeed me as Hokage, you're going to do it by impressing everyone on the council just as much as you have the rest of the village," Kakashi leaned forward a bit, "And there's another problem we both have to face."

Naruto's ears perked at that. Something was expected of him AND his teacher?

"Since Ino's pregnancy has been announced and the council told about Sai's heritage, they've decided that it's time our genetics were passed on as well. Our own bloodlines and kekke genkai are down to the two of us just like the Uchiha."

Naruto looked blankly back, "Meaning...?"

"Get yourself a girlfriend and get her pregnant. Mary her first if you have to, but do it soon."

The blood looked horrified. "What if I don't want to have a baby? I've never even had-!"

Naruto cut himself off, hands clasped to his mouth at the near full admission of never even having had a sexual relationship to date.

"Do we have to go by any requirements like was set for what Ino and Sakura were doing?" Naruto asked once he calmed down and realised that Kakashi wasn't going to comment-despite the evil grin he sported.

"I think they trust us to make high enough quality decisions of our own," Kakashi answered. "I only ask that you stay away from Sakura. She may not be able to toss you across town again yet, but that doesn't mean she won't find someone else to do it for her."

Naruto advanced, surprising Kakashi, "Don't lie to me. I saw you with her yesterday. You were on a date. A serious date, it looked like. If she's so un-ready for a real relationship and a kid, you wouldn't have been like that. Why are you guys hiding your affair?"

Kakashi shook his head, "There is no affair. She said no, and she gave a lot of good reasons why. I'm backing off, and you shouldn't even bother."

"You still want her, though."

"You don't? Please tell me I'm not going to have to fight you over a woman who was already pregnant with my child not long ago."

"YOUR CHILD?" Naruto exploded, reacting the exact way Kakashi had hoped.

"Like I said. Stay away from her on this."

,

,

,

,

"Ino! Ino! Pig, where are you?" Sakura tore through the halls of the Yamanaka compound, yelling the whole way. "I know you're here!"

Ino promptly appeared three doors ahead of where Sakura stood, emerging from the door to her father's study. She closed the door behind her, making sure Sakura couldn't see inside. She looked the exact opposite of how Sakura felt. Instead of elated, she was shaken and pale. It still hadn't dawned on Sakura yet.

"Ino, it's working! Whatever you gave me, it's let me heal myself some! Isn't it great? You found a cure!"

"Please leave, Sakura," Ino said softly. "I need some time alone right now."

Sakura knew that sentence was a full lie. Ino was a social butterfly of the highest quality. The only time she chose to be alone was sitting on a toilet, and even then she was only alone in the manner that she wasn't seen by anyone. There would always be texting going on if she were at home, or chatter through a door if at someone else's. She never went to the bathroom alone when at the mall or any dinner.

"Feeling sick again?" Sakura asked, providing an excuse.

"No." Ino replied shakily. "Family matters."

"Ino what's behind that door?" Sakura advanced, staying just out of the other woman's reach.

"Please. Don't. Just go find Kakashi-sensei and tell him your news. Bring him back here. I need time."

"Screw this," Sakura gathered her confidence and pushed an oddly weak Ino away from the door and opened it.

She opened it to a bloody mess. Blond hair and bits of fatty tissue and bone were all over the room, a nose being the only solidly identifiable object of the deceased Inuzaka member inside. Looking back at Ino, Sakura saw that the only blood on her friend was on her shoes. Not the killer, nor present at the time of the crime. Sakura stepped back out of the room as well, falling to her knees beside Ino.

"Is it Dad?" she asked.

"I don't know. He wasn't supposed to be here."

"Where is the rest of the family?"

"Setting up for the engagement party," Ino sniffled. "Sakura... do you think... could that be...Daddy?"

She wanted to say no with all her heart. Inoichi was like a second father to her when her own father left Konoha for business and never came back one day. Sakura and her mother had actually moved in with the Yamanaka clan for a time while her father's estate was settled. For a while, it even looked like Ino and Sakura would have become step-sisters, until Sakura's mother died in a construction accident six years after Mr. Haruno had died. That was when Sakura was officially adopted by the whole Yamanaka clan. Legally Inoichi was her guardian, but the whole clan took her in and raised her with almost as much love.

The door Sakura had left wide open when rushing in with good news earlier closed a bit harder than the house's new occupant wanted, evidenced by a hushed curse before the man called out, "Ino-chan? Are you still here?"

Ino and Sakura shared a look.

"Daddy!" Ino shouted, bolting to the entrance.

"Dad!" Sakura ran on Ino's heels.

,

,

,

,

Kakashi sighed happily. Finally he had an excuse to get out of the office that half the council was also using and the whole council was accepting. Yamanaka Ino's and Sai's engagement party would be host to much of the village. And here was Inoichi, ready to collect him so that they could both go back to the Yamanaka compound and change for the party.

"Ino thinks she's on to something with Sakura-chan's condition," Inoichi commented off-handedly as they neared his front steps.

"I'll believe it when I see it," Kakashi answered. "I don't want to get my hopes up just yet. Also, is your door usually wide open like that?"

"The girls usually leave it like that when they're in a hurry, maybe Ino's still home," Inoichi said as they walked inside.

Kakashi pulled the door closed a bit hard and cussed. He hated it when doors swung easier than they appeared they would.

"Ino-chan?" Inoichi called out, rolling his eyes at Kakashi, "Are you still here?"

There was silence, then "Daddy!" and "Dad!" were screamed from the back of the house, and two pairs of feet were thudding hard in the men's direction just before a blond and a pinkett slammed into him.

"Woah! You two aren't little anymore!" Inoichi yelled at them, fighting to stay on his feet. "What's wrong with you?"

The women backed off, still ignoring Kakashi. Sakura answered for them both.

"Come on. You have to see this."

"Would it have anything," Kakashi asked, making his presence known to the women, "to do with the blood on your feet?"

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Naruto stared at the note the teacher's aid handed him. This would be rough for the kid. He had no idea how to handle this.

"Thank you Aki," Naruto patted her shoulder before addressing the class that was just now into the first set of warm-ups. "Everyone, Miss Aki will be taking over class for the day. Yamanaka Jiro, come with me, please."

"Uzumaki-sensei?" the teen approached cautiously. "What's wrong?"

"We're going back to your uncle Inoichi's house," Naruto said quietly, even softer he added, "Your father is missing, and a body has been found in the main house that could be his."


	4. Flat On The Floor

"Real smooth, baka," Tenzo said, hands on his face. "That kid just lost his dad, and you break it to him like that?"

"What else was I supposed to do? Wait until he was home?" Naruto asked, trying to find a way to defend himself.

"You could have at least waited until you were out of the gym!" Sakura hissed, smacking him in the head. "I've barely been out of that cast for a month, and I haven't had enough time to bring my skills back up to par, and because of you, I'm on baby-sitting duty for Jiro!"

"Why can't Ino do it?"

"Because she's pregnant! Did you just suddenly forget that? Besides, Jiro trusts me."

Tenzo shook his head, "come on. Sempai made it very clear we've got to keep the kid in check before he tears the whole town apart."

"And when does that leave me time to practice?" Sakura demanded. "I can't baby-sit my cousin and practice at the same time if you two won't take two seconds to help me with him. Didn't you say you have a date tonight, taichou?"

"But that's not until tonight," he answered, raising a finger to her.

"And you, Naruto? Aren't you supposed to be going on another mission with Hinata-chan?"

"Well, yeah... but I'm going to still be in town!"

"And too busy."

The door to the Hokage's office opened again, and Hinata walked out to them. "Sakura-chan, Hatake-sama wants to speak with you alone. Naruto and my team will be taking over watch of Yamanaka Jiro."

"See, problem solved," Naruto smiled at her, almost reminiscent of Lee and Gai.

With a wave, Tenzo slipped into the wood of the floor and far out of sight. Sakura shared a look with Hinata that simply said "Thanks" before walking carefully into the Hokage's office.

Kakashi's nose was buried in a book when Sakura entered, but the book was dropped the moment she closed the door... revealing a yellow rose edged with red. And his mask was down again, a hopeful smile on his face.

"I was wondering if I might have that chance now?"

Sakura shook her head, coming in farther to sit across from him. "You always have the worst timing. I just lost a man that's like an uncle to me! Why do you wait for times like these to ask me out?"

He didn't have to think about that one, "Because every close call, and every loss, reminds me how much I want to be with you, and what I want with you, and what I want for you, Sakura. I want to give you everything I have."

"Is that why you changed Hinata and Naruto's assignment?"

Kakashi took a deep breath and let it out slowly, setting the flower between them. "Just before this whole thing with continuing the Sharingan came up last time, I had planned a dinner with you, the guys, and some of your friends. I was going to propose to you infront of them... but I guess you don't remember our conversation from the night before that?"

"You mean the reason I agreed to use you instead of Naruto?" she hazarded a guess. "I do remember that much. I meant what I said, but... that doesn't mean it's true any more. I'm meant to be a fighter, not a... well, I couldn't even protect a child before it was born. How can you expect me to protect the future of your clan?"

"If all I wanted was an heir, I could go bed nearly any woman I wanted," he answered, taking offense at her self-degradation. "What I want, is a woman that can go toe-to-toe with me in a fight and win every now and then. What I want is a woman who is well respected by her peers and many other people who have only met her in passing. I want a woman who is feared by most of her enemies, and can beat the rest of them to a pulp on an off day. I want a woman who can give me the truth no matter how hard it might be to take. I want a woman I have already had many hard and wonderful moments with.

"If it weren't for my stupidity, you would have never been in that situation in the first place... and... I hope you might have said yes."

Sakura picked up the rose and took a deep breath of it's scent. "Is that really how you see me? A complete fighter?"

"For everything but your beauty and gentleness. Those, you come by naturally... well... gentleness sometimes," he smirked.

"One date. Tonight," she smiled at him slightly. "No kissing, no groping. I want something we can dress up for, but look like we're only just close friends on a friend date. If you don't impress me, I won't take you as my boyfriend."

Kakashi shook his head. "The council already knows of my intentions, as do our friends. I want to court you for real."

"So that's how it is, then?" she said, setting the flower down on the desk again. "That's why even Naruto has backed off? You've gone and scared away all my other chances at love?"

"I thought we already covered that months ago," he said, leaning back in his chair. "You love me, but you're not ready to marry anyone."

She stood up, looking at him closely for his real reaction to what she had to say next, "The moment you decide to take things slower, not jump straight into marriage, is the moment I'll date you for real. That doesn't mean I'll ever agree to be your wife, or to ever take another chance at having your child. I don't know that I ever even wanted the first one... Besides... what would happen if you abandoned your child the way your father did you?"

His body remained perfectly still, but she could see the slight tone shift in his eye. It grew pale, meaning her words had caused a sadness in him... a deep hurt he would not forget any time soon. When he moved, it was with a far faster speed than she was used to from him, and he had her pinned to the door.

"Honor can always be regained," he growled at her. "Life cannot. Not unless you're really lucky... or damned. _I_ will never leave _you_ like _he_ did me... The only way I will leave you is if you tell me to go away."

He let her go rather gently, backing off slowly. Sakura didn't move except to bring her arms to her sides.

"He didn't abandon me, Sakura," Kakashi sighed. "The village drove him to seppuku... and I killed him. He was dying, so I used what little chakra control I had and stopped his heart with a pulse of chakra that would eventually become chidori. It was the only thing I could do for him. It was the only thing I ever did for him... because he asked me to."

Sakura didn't know which part of her would win this battle; the analytical side which wondered how Hatake Sakumo could have still been talking at that point, or the emotional one that just found out exactly how far Kakashi had always been willing to go for a loved one. If she told him to leave her alone... just how far would he take that request?

Then again, she had the advantage of knowing what a family life really was. He had lost his father when he was maybe... five at the oldest. She had had her parents for a lot longer than that, and then had been adopted by a whole clan. If she could get him to feel safe again, safe in a real family environment, he might just learn to back off on himself. He might just learn to have real friends again, friends that didn't have to be kept at arm's length.

"I hope to never have to do anything like that again," he continued, "and I will never choose his way, not even if the council orders it. I can't protect anyone if I'm dead."

"Maybe we should move that date back until tomorrow night," Sakura said softly. "I need time to process this, and you need time to cool down."

"Yeah, maybe you're right," he sighed.

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The date wasn't all that bad as far as Sakura was concerned. He'd set up another picnic-lunch, but in the park where others could see them together. After that, they wandered around the shopping centers of the south side before catching a snack and going to a play on the east end. There was a lot of walking, a lot of talking about the rest of the team and other friends, and even some goofing off in a costume shop where they continuously traded hats and scarves and masks.

Walking home, Sakura barely even noticed that he'd managed to take her hand in his. It was so nonchalant that she just went with it... until her stomach growled for a real dinner. The snack earlier wasn't enough.

"Up for a drink?" Kakashi suggested. "I know a bar with the best hang-over-preventing food you'll ever find."

"Does that mean you want to get me drunk?" Sakura's eyebrow rose in question.

Oops. How to dig out of this one? "No... I meant that even when drunk you can still taste the food. When you're sober, it's so much better!"

She pretended to have to think about that for a moment before answering with an "alright, let's go."

Now, there were three people wishing the two of them hadn't gone to that bar that night. It was a place usually filled with civilians. At that, they were generally from out of town, even out of the country, because the bar was in a hotel. Just because the out-of-towners might have the money to blow here didn't mean they were decent people. One of them had his eye on Sakura from the moment she and Kakashi had walked through the door.

Sakura wasn't oblivious, but she did her best to ignore the raking looks and the way the man pointed her way while conspiratorial whispers were passed around his buddies. Kakashi had his ears trained on the small group the whole time, but he couldn't make out much more than the "damn straight, she's hot" from one and the "wish her old man would go away" from another.

"Old man, huh?" Kakashi grumbled.

"What's that?" she asked, not having heard the comments herself.

"Nothing," he shook her question off. "I'll be back in a minute."

Confused, Sakura watched him disappear towards the bathroom, two of the other guys following him as the first one approached her, sliding into the spot Kakashi had just vacated a second ago. She could already smell the drink on his breath.

"That seat is taken," she pointed out to him.

"By me," he smirked. "Care for a dance?"

"I don't dance."

"A game of pool then?"

"Maybe once Kakashi comes back."

"It could take him a while."

Damn it. Now that she listened, Sakura could hear the sounds of fighting coming from the bathrooms. Taking a deep swig of her drink, she reached out to grab the man's hand. He may have thought she was taking him up on his offer, but not for long. She had his arm twisted around behing his back and straining his shoulder to its limits.

"You are more of an idiot than Naruto-baka," she ground out, shoving him away into the bar stool she had just been occupying. "Your friends are even more so."

The idiot was grinning, "I like a girl with some fight. Daddy taught you well, I see."

Sakura rolled her eyes, " 'Daddy' didn't teach me much of anything."

The bar door opened again, admitting two very tangled individuals bound by wire hopping their way forward in search of their idiot ring leader. Kakashi was casually stolling in behind them. "Sakura, I do believe it's time we got on our way... before I have to deal with international disputes over these three."

"You better believe I'll be taking this to the Hokage, you bastard!" one of the tied up men snarled. "My brother's a friend of his! I had lunch with him earlier today! In the Hokage Tower!"

Kakashi and Sakura shared a snort. "No you didn't."

Kakashi came up along side her and spoke softly into her ear, "These are chunin level. Not sure where from."

"Then there really is the potential for an international issue," she replied with a nod. "Good thing they're drunk."

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.

.

Morning came with the liar from the night before standing before the Hokage's office door. He was there even before the Hokage, so when Kakashi walked into the anti-room behind him, he let the grin slip into his voice.

"You really did mean it, didn't you?" Kakashi asked, coming up beside him.

The man looked nervous, sparing only a glance at Kakashi before looking back at the door before him. "Of course I did. I will be telling your Kage about your actions."

"He already knows," Kakashi informed the timid man. "Why don't you come on in so we can discuss your options."

"Excuse me?"

Kakashi produced a key and unlocked the door, slowly walking over to his desk and sitting down. As he did so, he made sure to turn a couple pictures around to face the "guest" just now starting to understand his situation. They were the pictures of his team, in many degrees, all set in two frames. He held onto one other picture for a moment. It was a drawing of Sakura that Sai had done a few weeks back on Kakashi's request. To keep suspicion down, Kakashi had asked Sai to do singles of everyone on the team, but it was the one of Sakura he kept on his desk, always facing himself rather than visitors... but this was a good opportunity to show it off.

"You know," he said, turning the drawing to face his visitor, "all these people are what keep me from kicking you out of my country after what you pulled last night. I think it's best I knew the name of the man who pissed off my girlfriend last night."

"You... your girlfriend?" the idiot stammered, moving closer to confirm the pictures. "Looks more like a student."

"She was mainly taught by the Fifth Hokage, but I was her team leader for many years," Kakashi replied, pretending to go along with the tangent. "Your name?"

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Sakura lay in bed, curled around a pillow, drifting in and out of sleep; in and out of dreams she floated. Durring her sleep, she dreamt of the fight that didn't happen between her and the liar, and in her waking moments she wondered what had gone on with Kakashi and the men who followed him towards the bathroom. Waking up more fully, she wondered what would happen if the idiots really did take their matter to the Hokage only to find their intended victim staring at them across the desk.

She wished she could see that...

And when Kakashi politely tossed them out (maybe not so politely) of Konoha and on their way back home, she might close the door to the office and pull down that mask-

No. She... No. No. No. No.

Pain.

It started in her right arm. It peeled her fingers in uncomfortable directions, bent her wrist. It locked her elbow tightly, and her shoulder began to lift her whole arm up and around. Her left side was doing it, too, but it was curling in instead. Her right leg went stiff and her left bent behind her. Her neck was locking into an odd angle. Too much more and it would snap itself. Her teeth ground against one another.

Someone was screaming.

Her chest hurt.

Everything was lit up in pain. A thousand needles in every square millimeter of her body.

Pain!

Who was screaming that awful cry?

The world shifted around her. Now she could see out the window.

PAIN!

The window sill had five little holes in the moulding near the left corner. Four were perfectly round, but one was a bit elongated. The long one was from a butter knife that slipped one day... Kakashi had been over that day.

More pain...

It was so hard to breath. It physically hurt to think. Her arms, her legs, and her head moved where they wanted. They all ground and pinched and pulled in the worst way she had ever felt. Worse than she had ever imagined possible!

Ever so slowly, her body relaxed. Her toes and fingers righted themselves. Her jaw unlocked. Her back and neck stopped trying to break themselves. The muscles in her arms and legs relaxed enough to let the tendons fall back into a natural position.

No noise. No silence. No knowledge. No existence. Nothing.

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.

.

.

What the hell happened? Her head felt worse than the worst hang over times thirty, plus eighty boulders dropped on it.

And she puked.

Every bit of anything left in her stomach from the night before came up. Extra bits of bile came along with it, souring her mouth and nose even further. Yes, she vomited so hard it came out her nose. For a moment, she wondered if it were going to come streaming out of her eyes and ears next.

Soiled in her stomach's previous contents, as well as what had been sitting in her bladder and bowls, a deep ache settled in. Nowhere near as bad as the previous pain, it was still bad enough to make the nausea return in the form of dry heaves for a few rounds more of bile in her mouth.


End file.
